The present invention is directed to a carton holding and pouring device and, more specifically, to a carton of the type used for packaging, storing and marketing liquids such as milk and juice as well as other particulate materials.
Such cartons of the type to which the present invention is directed are usually formed from a blank paper stock which is folded into the general form of a parallelepiped having four sides, a bottom, and a top wherein the upper part of two of the sides are folded over upon the upper parts of the other two sides to provide a sealed top having a tab or ridge extending along the upper most portion thereof and a pair of recesses at each end of the sealed tab. The blank materials for such cartons are usually formed of a paper stock which is coated with a wax or plastic coating to render the material impermeable to liquid and gaseous penetration thereby providing a material capable of sealing the carton contents against leakage and penetration by external gases or liquids which could prematurely age or otherwise adversely effect the contents of the carton.
Cartons of this type are frequently used for packaging, storing and marketing milk and juice at consumer outlets and can be used equally well for other liquids and/or products in granular form such as soap powders or other materials which are in a form that can be easily poured from the carton once the carton has been opened. These cartons usually bear printed instructions that they should be opened by spreading the recessed portion at one end of the sealed tab at the upper part of the carton in order to break the seal and permit that upper portion of the carton to be unfolded in the form of a spout to facilitate easy pouring of the contents.
Although the instructions and steps required to open such cartons are relatively simple, difficulties may be encountered when attempting to break the seal at the top of the carton. Occasionally the seals have been made so tight that they are difficult to open since the instructions generally require the seal to be broken or split halfway across the tab in order to provide access to the upper part of one of the end panels in order that it may be withdrawn to shape the spout recommended for pouring.
Another problem encountered with cartons of this type is that the larger cartons, for example those cartons which are of the 2 liter or 1/2 gallon size and larger, are somewhat difficult to handle since they can accommodate a substantial weight in terms of the contents of the carton and the lateral walls of the carton being relatively thin and resilient do not provide a good gripping surface or handle for holding the carton. This is particularly difficult with such cartons that have been previously opened since they are not transparent and therefore one cannot anticipate the weight of the remaining contents and difficulty that may be encountered in attempting to grasp, lift and pour such contents from a previously opened carton.
There have been several prior attempts to alleviate such problems. U.S. Pat. No. 3,615,115 issued on Oct. 26, 1971 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,692,346 issued on Sept. 19, 1972 both disclose a detachable handle for such cartons. The detachable carton handles disclosed by these patents may be effective in providing ease of handling once the carton is open, but neither patent discloses anything relative to opening the carton other than breaking the seal and unfolding the upper part of one of the end panels as described above. U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,689, issued Feb. 9, 1988, discloses a holder for such cartons which is provided with a spigot and a spout which can be threaded into the spigot to puncture the carton and provide a pouring spout.
The present invention provides an improved carton holding and pouring device for a carton of the type described above which can be easily fit to provide a very stable engagement with such a carton and provides an arrangement for easily and firmly grasping the carton as well as a novel and vastly improved apparatus and arrangement for opening the carton to facilitate pouring of the content provided therein.